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In her February 2014 article "The Dark Power of Fraternities," Caitlin Flanagan of The Atlantic describes Douglas Fierberg, partner at Bode & Fierberg LLP, as "the best plaintiff's attorney in the country when it comes to fraternity-related litigation" and "the man I would run to as though my hair were on fire if I ever found myself in a legal battle with a fraternity." The article is a result of Flanagan's comprehensive, yearlong investigation of college fraternities and lawsuits...

William Bode of the law firm of Bode & Fierberg, LLP has again been recognized as “Super Lawyers” by the Washington Post.Mr. Bode was named a Super Lawyer in Business Litigation. Mr. Bode heads the complex litigation section of Bode & Fierberg and cases that he has litigated are widely cited in legal decisions. He has argued important cases before the U.S. Federal Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Circuits and has argued before the U.S. Supreme...

Over $15 Million Recovered For Our Deserving Clients in 2012. January 26, 2011, Washington, D.C. – The Firm is pleased to announce that 2012 was a very rewarding year for our clients. The firm’s lawyers successfully resolved claims totaling over $15,000,000 on behalf of injured and aggrieved clients. We had great results for our clients in cases involving wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and life altering medical conditions. The firm's case load included automobile,...

William Bode Esq. recognized as "2011 Washington's Top Lawyers" by Washingtonian Magazine. Mr. Bode has received this award in prior years.
Mr. Bode heads the complex litigation section of Bode & Fierberg and cases that he has litigated are widely cited in legal decisions. He has argued important cases before the U.S. Federal Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Circuits and has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the author of the "Oil...

It used to be as compliance lawyers we had to explain to companies and executives what the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) was and what it prohibited. Those days are mostly gone. It is a hot compliance topic and should already be on the radar of every company, regardless of size – whether a U.S. company or a foreign company that does business in the U.S. Now the conversation usually starts with what do we need to do and how much will it cost. These are both good questions that...

In an attempt to prevent corruption within global markets, the US government has been cracking down on companies and their employees under the Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA).
Following a report in the mid 1970’s by the Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC), where over 400 U.S. companies admitted to making payments of over $300 million to foreign government officials, the FCPA was passed in 1977 to prohibit any form of payment or bribery to foreign officials for the purpose of...

On May 25, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) promulgated rules to implement the whistleblower provisions of the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” (“Dodd-Frank Act”), which President Obama signed into law on July 21, 2010.
The whistleblower provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act enable the SEC to pay rewards to whistleblowers – at both publicly traded companies and at privately held companies - who voluntarily provide so-called “original information”...

The Firm filed an ERISA class action law suit against Marriott International on behalf of former employees who were awarded yearly deferred stock bonus awards by which Marriott obligated itself to issue stock to employees over a ten-year period when the employees turned 65 years of age, took early retirement, became permanently disabled, or died. The purpose of these awards was to reward superior performance and to entice employees to remain with Marriott. Marriott’s obligations were set...

January 26, 2011, Washington, D.C. – The Firm is pleased to announce that 2010 was a tremendous year for our clients. The firm’s lawyers successfully resolved claims totaling over $17,000,000 on behalf of injured and aggrieved clients. The cases included significant wrongful death cases resulting from traffic accidents, school violence, and premises liability. Additionally, clients received awards in medical malpractice cases, automobile and motorcycle crashes, and faulty...

SURVIVING FAMILIES OF ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE MASSACRE FILE WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT AGAINST PROVOST AND OTHERS
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - WASHINGTON, D.C., January 14, 2011 -- The families of Dr. Maria Ragland Davis and Dr. Adriel D. Johnson, Sr., both of whom were murdered during a staff meeting at the University of Alabama Huntsville on February 12, 2010, filed separate wrongful death lawsuits today against Amy Bishop, James Anderson and Provost and Executive Vice...

FIRM WINS $5.15 MILLION PUNITIVE DAMAGES AWARD ON BEHALF OF FATHER WHOSE SON DIED IN TERRORIST BOMBING IN SAUDI ARABIA
November 16, 2010 -- Today, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the Firm won a $5.15 million punitive damages award against the government of Iran on behalf of a father whose son died in a terrorist attack. The award follows a prior $5 million compensatory damages award, thus bringing the total amount awarded to $10.15 million. In this...

The Firm recently opposed summary judgment in a third-party criminal behavior premises liability case involving the murder of a minor child in D.C. Defendants tried to argue that that Plaintiff's experts had to demonstrate the standard of care applicable to the landlord by making specific reference to written national standards based on two recent D.C. decisions, Varner v. District of Columbia, 891 A.2d 260 (D.C. 2006), and Briggs v. WMATA, 481 F.3d 839 (D.C. Cir. 2007). It...

The family of Gary L. DeVercelly, Jr. has reached a settlement of their lawsuit against Rider University and certain of its employees resulting from their son’s death at Rider University. Gary died from acute alcohol poisoning during a fraternity hazing ritual on March 30, 2007. His death resulted from a fraternity Big Brother – Little Brother initiation ritual where pledges were introduced to their big brother’s and so-called “family drink,” and compelled to consume intoxicating amounts of...

The parents of the Cal Poly fraternity pledge who died last year after an alleged hazing incident have filed a lawsuit against the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and nine of its members. Carson Starkey’s parents, Scott and Julia Starkey of Austin, Texas, filed the lawsuit Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court. It names the Illinois-based fraternity, its Cal Poly chapter, and Bennett Holden, Haithem Ibrahim, Zacary Ellis, Matt Silva, Russell Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Jamie Merkler, Christopher...

On September 4, 2009, the Firm filed a three count class action complaint against Marriott International and Host Hotels and Resorts. (Click here to read the complaint). This action is being brought by former employees of Marriott and Host Hotels (as well as past Marriott entities such as Hot Shoppes, Roy Rogers, Big Boy Restaurants, and Gino’s Restaurants) who were awarded yearly deferred stock bonus awards prior to October 8, 1993, by which Marriott obligated itself to issue stock to...

Sacramento, California: The Firm obtained a $1.45 Million settlement in the death of a 27 year-old inmate who suffered from a perforated duodenal peptic ulcer, while in the custody of the Sacramento County Sheriffs Department.Suit settled for $1.5M in gay inmate's death(Bay Area Reporter) The mother of a 27-year-old gay
man who died in a Sacramento jail recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit
with the county for $1.45 million.William Sams, whom a jail document
had once pegged...

In re April 16, 2007 Massacre at Virginia Tech University. The Firm represent 20 families who suffered devastating losses as a result of the massacre of students and faculty on the campus of Virginia Tech. Numerous clients lost loved ones, while others suffered severe and permanent injuries as a result of violent gunshot wounds. While Virginia Tech was widely praised (by its own officials and from many outside sources) for its handling of the events leading to and following the tragedy,...

On Valentine's Day 2007, a careless Metrobus driver, concerned more about beating traffic than the safety of law-abiding pedestrians, made a left turn off of 7th Street, N.W., onto Pennsylvania Avenue. He never bothered to check to make sure that the crosswalk was clear, and senselessly struck and killed two women. The women were walking in the crosswalk, with a green "Walk" sign. The Firm represented the widower of decedent Martha Stringer Schoenborn. After just over a year of hard-fought...

On November 10, 2005, Mr. Bode addressed the Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Implementation Workshop in Phoenix, Arizona. Speaking on behalf of the Independent Liquid Terminals Association to over 500 attendees from all segments of the petroleum industry, Mr. Bode identified the challenges and legal issues confronting the industry as it attempts to meet the stringent new Ultra-low sulfur diesel requirements next year. Mr. Bode reviewed the EPA's enforcement regime and guidelines, and presented...

The Firm obtains $550,000.00 federal jury verdict on behalf of young sexual assault victim...
D.C. Ordered To Pay Family Over Abuse At Camp Jury Finds City Failed To Shield Boy, Then 10
By Karlyn Barker Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, June 4, 2005; B01 A federal jury has ordered the District government to pay $550,000 to the family of a boy who was terrorized and sexually abused at a city-run summer camp when he was left alone with an older camper. After hearing testimony from the...

Family Wins $2 Million in Hit-Run, Lawyer Struck Teenage Girl on Shoulder of Route 7By Karin BrulliardWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, October 8, 2004; Page B01 A Loudoun County Circuit Court jury yesterday ordered a former Sterling lawyer who struck and killed a 15-year-old girl with her Mercedes on a Fairfax County highway to pay more than $2 million in damages to the victim's family. The jury ordered Jane Wagner, 33, to compensate the parents, two brothers and sister of Naeun Yoon...

JURY AWARDS $98 MILLION IN SLAYING OF D.C. INFORMANT
by Bill Miller, Washington Post Staff Writer, Washington Post
The D.C. police department and four of its officers were ordered yesterday to pay nearly $100 million in...